Road Trip
by NoLeafClover
Summary: COMPLETE  Our favorite ACME newbie is back. The FBI has requested the help of ACME in trasporting a Federal witness and Deric and Nace pull the short straw. Buddyfic. Please R & R.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I do not own WOEICS or any of its characters. I do own Deric Storm, Jayson Steadman, Agent Lascari and Joe Lopresti. Nace Bilby is on loan from SoulReaver (You my boy, Blue!)._**

**Chapter 1: Just Another Day at the Office**

The Chief was going over some paperwork in his database when he was buzzed over his intercom by his secretary. "Yes, Lucy." Chief responded.

"Sorry to bother you, sir, but there is a gentleman from the FBI to see you."

"Send him in." The doors opened to reveal a middle-aged man with light brown hair in a dark blue business suit. Addressing the visitor, Chief said, "Welcome to ACME Agent…"

"Special Agent Tom Lascari, Organized Crime Division." The FBI agent flashed his identification.

"What can I do for you Agent Lascari?" Chief asked, "ACME is always willing to help out the federal government."

"I'm here to request the help of two of your detectives." Agent Lascari placed a manila folder on a desk for the Chief to scan through. "You've probably heard of our investigation into the Satori crime family." Chief nodded, the Satoris were considered one of the top five crime families remaining in the US. "We have a witness who can implicate the Satoris and we need help transporting him from San Francisco to DC. The FBI is going to transport a decoy under armed escort…"

"If I may ask…" The Chief interjected, glasses at the end of his digital nose from reading the file, "why the use of the decoy?"

"I have proof to believe that the Satoris may have a mole in my unit," Lascari answered, "That's why I came here. Your record with the government has been nothing less than stellar."

"Well, Agent Lascari," Chief started, bringing up the personnel files of just about every detective at ACME, "In my opinion, the best detectives we have are…" Ivy and Zack's pictures appeared on screen.

"The Darren siblings…" Lascari noted, "Nope, too high profile. I want the agents transporting the witness to be somewhat low-profile."

"Well," Chief began, "we have a few other detectives who I think would be nearly as good…"

"Actually Chief," Agent Lascari spoke up, "I would like to know who you consider your two _craziest_ detectives?"

- - - - - - -

_Monte Carlo_

"'Freeze' means 'stop or I will shoot your ass!'" Deric Storm yelled as he and partner Nace Bilby were in foot pursuit of a suspect who had attempted to steal a replica of the Guttenberg Bible. Actually, it was more like Deric was in foot pursuit. Nace had told him that his left knee was his "trick knee." '_It sure picked a helluva time to go abracadabra,_' Deric thought as he pursued the suspect. It was a merry chase, going through alleys and onto President J.F. Kennedy Avenue. The suspect shoved a young man to the ground and stole his motorcycle.

'_Oh crap,_' Deric thought as he reached for his sidearm, a modified 9mm semiautomatic, '_there is no way in hell he's just leaving like that._' Coming to a stop next to the assault civilian, Deric fired three rounds at the rear tire of the motorcycle. Unbelievably, one of the shots ruptured the front tire, causing the suspect to careen into an oncoming car, leading to a five car pile-up, and into the window of a restaurant. Deric closed his eyes and sighed in frustration as he ran towards the restaurant. "Great googly-moogly…" Deric swore as he saw the wreckage. Luckily, the suspect was only knocked out with some minor cuts and bruises. Snapping the cuffs on the suspect, Deric sat in a nearby seat. As he sat, his communicator went off. "Storm," Deric spoke into the device.

"Deric, it's Nace. What's your situation?" crackled the voice of Deric's partner.

"I'm in a restaurant on Kennedy, just look for the carnage." Deric responded before cutting off his communicator. Looking up, he saw a group of patrons and staff staring at him. Brushing some glass and debris off of a menu, Deric looked at a waiter and said "Could I have a glass of water, please?"

A few minutes later, Nace arrived at the wreck outside of the restaurant. The owners of the cars were arguing with the police, probably over who was going to pay for the damage to their automobiles. He spied Deric sitting at a table near what used to be the front window of an Italian restaurant, drinking a bottle of water. As Nace approached, Deric threw a water bottle at him for him to drink.

"I believe the phrase you Americans use is 'Nice Shootin, Tex.'" Nace joked before taking a sip. Looking around, he surmised the aftermath of another case that was probably going to raise ACME's insurance premiums. This made the last three. "Let me guess: you shot out the front tire of this motorbike and it went to hell from there." Deric tapped the tip of his nose with his index finger.

"Well," Deric stood up and placed some currency on the table before walking through the broken window, "at least you can't say we ever have a boring day."

- - - - - - -

"Actually, Agent Lascari," The Chief said, "I think we have the perfect two detectives for you."

"Um, Lucy," the Chief spoke into his intercom, "do you know the current status of Detectives Storm and Bilby?"

"They just finished up an assignment in Monte Carlo." The two could hear the secretary typing in the background. "There seems to have been a little bit of collateral damage, sir." The Chief groaned, '_That's three cases in the last month._' Chief thought, '_but I'll guarantee they got the suspect._' "I'll send them in as soon as they get back."

"Thank you, Lucy."

- - - - - - -

"Well," Ivy said as the two detectives emerged from the C-5 corridor, "If it isn't 'Hurricane' Storm and the Bilby Kid?" Deric flashed a cocky grinned at the flame-haired detective. Ever since he transferred to the main division of ACME, Deric had firmly lodged himself under Ivy's skin. "I heard you two left _another_ mess near the crime scene."

"Well, good morning to you, too, _Princess_," Deric shot back with a smirk, "and how are we this fine morning?" Seeing Ivy's infuriated expression just made Deric smile wider. She stalked past him to punch in some coordinates before a new corridor opened. Deric and Nace then proceeded to their desks, which just happened to be across from Zack and Ivy's, and Zack happened to be sitting at his desk at the moment. Deric reached into his bag and pulled out a parcel which he tossed into Zack's empty lap.

"Here ya go, Z-man," Deric said as the package landed, surprising the younger detective, "An extra large was the only size I think they had which wouldn't have cutoff circulation or go to your knees." Zack opened the package revealing a T-shirt with the slogan 'What happens in Monte Carlo stays in Monte Carlo' and a man you see on a bathroom door on his back with a spilled drink near him.

"Sweet," Zack responded, "how much do I owe you?"

"Nada," Deric said, sitting down, "just, what's up with your sister or is _that time_?" Deric laughed at Zack's sudden paling and Nace's covering of his face in disbelief. Zack looked like he was going to say something when the phone rang at Nace's desk. "Bilby," Nace said, answering the phone, "Yes, Chief. Okay, we'll be right down." Nace hung up the phone with a weird look his face.

"What's up?" Deric asked.

"Chief wants to see us ASAP." Nace said, picking up his jacket, "Apparently, it has something to do with the FBI." The two walked down to the Chief's office, both wondering what the FBI would want with them. They got to the Chief's office to find the door closed, they had to be buzzed in. There was a man dressed in a dark blue business suit sitting across from the virtual form of the Chief.

"Ah, detectives," Chief welcomed them in, "have a seat." Deric and Nace took the two remaining seats in the room. "The reason I called you two down here is that the FBI has requested our assistance in a matter of great importance." The man in the suit stood up. "Deric, Nace, this is special agent Tom Lascari from the FBI's Organized Crime Unit."

Agent Lascari shook both Detectives' hands. "Gentlemen," he handed Deric the manila envelope which was on the Chief's desk, "for the past seven years, we've been trying to take down the country's top crime families. Recently, we struck paydirt." Deric opened the folder. "That man is Giuseppe 'Joey Numbers' Lopresti," Deric showed Nace the photo of the man in the file, "He is the bookkeeper for the Satori crime family. We recently apprehended him in Fisherman's Wharf a month ago and have been holding him in our San Francisco offices since then. In return for immunity, Mister Lopresti has agreed to turn state's evidence. He is scheduled to appear before a grand jury in Washington in four days."

"So," Nace interjected, "what does this have to do with you needing our help?"

"We need you to transport him from San Francisco to Washington."

"Why can't you guys do it?" Deric asked.

"That's why we need your help," Lascari said, "According to Mr. Lopresti, Satori has some of my men on his payroll. Besides me, you three are the only ones who know what Lopresti looks like. I have a caravan set up which will act as a decoy so you can make your way cross country. Lopresti is deathly afraid of flying, so that's why I need you to drive." Deric and Nace looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

"We're in." Nace said.

"When do we leave?" Deric asked.

"Seven-thirty tomorrow morning." Agent Lascari said, shaking both Detectives hands. "You have the thanks of the United States government." Agent Lascari picked up the folder and left. The Chief gave the two some further instructions before sending them on their way.

"So," Deric began, "what do you wanna do now?"

"Lunch sounds good." The two proceeded to make their way towards the ACME commissary.

- - - - - - -

Deric and Nace both got their trays and proceeded to get lunch. When they had gotten their food, they proceeded to find an empty table and began eating. It was Nace who broke the silence.

"Why do you think they chose _us_?"

Deric shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Don't know, don't care. It's a simple job, plus we'll get brownie points with Uncle Sam." Despite his confidence, Deric did share some of his partner's doubts. It was a little strange; why not let the Wonder Twins do it. Ivy and Zack were ACME's golden children, while he and Nace were probably more mavericks than anything. A sudden commotion brought Deric back to reality. A few tables down, some of the younger detectives were being harassed by a group dressed in military garb. "Hey Bilby," Deric pointed at the group with his plastic fork, "who's that?"

Nace looked over his shoulder and exhaled in anger. "CrimeNet." He spat. Deric had heard of CrimeNet when he worked in the Undercover Division. They were the paramilitary branch of ACME, they were sent into situations that required more of a forceful touch. He had also heard that they were also some of the biggest jerks you could ever meet. It seemed they all suffered from a massive superiority complex. "And _that_," Nace pointed over to who seemed to be the leader of the little group, "is Jayson Steadman." Nace pointed him out with a noticeable hint of anger in his voice. "He's Colonel Reinhardt's little brownnose." The CrimeNet agents took away the trays of the ACME trainees, who couldn't have been older than sixteen. Steadman took the apple off one of the trainee's trays and began to eat it. Deric could see tears starting to form in the trainee's eyes.

"Hey jerky…" Deric spoke up. The CrimeNet group turned to see who spoke up before locating Nace and Deric. "Why don't you boys pick on someone who'll fight back?" The group let the trays drop and headed over to where Nace and Deric were sitting. The tables around them began to quickly empty.

"Who the hell are you?" Steadman demanded, getting in the seated Deric's face.

"First off, dude, two words: Breath. Mint." Deric joked, waving his hand in front of his nose. "Secondly, the name's Storm, Deric Storm." Looking to Nace, he said, "I've always wanted to do that, Nace." Looking back to Steadman, Deric said, "That's 'who the hell' I am." To emphasize his point, Deric stood to his full six foot-four inch height.

Steadman looked back at Nace, he said, "Have we met before? You look familiar."

"Yeah, we 'met' at the rugby match between San Francisco and Johannesburg." Nace fixed Steadman with a death stare.

"Oh yes," Steadman was faking clarity, "How's the knee?" Steadman asked with all the sincerity of a snake.

"I'm gonna guess there a little history between you two." Deric said, confused. "So, what's the deal with the trainees?" Steadman took the apple of Deric's tray.

"They were sitting at our table." Steadman answered, tossing the apple up in the air and catching it, "They needed to pay the fee for sitting there. What's it to you?" Deric snatched the apple back.

"Easy, I'm not a big fan of bullies." Nace stood up to back up his partner if he needed it. A fight seemed all but started except for a sudden voice.

"Jayson," Ivy interjected, "what's going on here?" She scowled when she saw Deric standing there. "Jeez, Deric, can't you go one day without causing trouble?" Now it was Steadman with the cocky grin.

"Actually, love," Steadman emphasized the word 'love,' "there's no trouble here. I was just introducing myself to the two new detectives before we headed back to our duties." He held out his hand. "It was nice to meet you, Detective Storm." Jayson gave Deric a look that said 'This isn't over yet.'

Deric shook hands, "Nice to meet you too, Jayson." Then, the CrimeNet group left the cafeteria. Ivy proceeded to a table where some of her friends were. Once Ivy was out of earshot, Deric said to Nace, "What a prick."

"You don't know the half of it." Nace said picking up his tray. The two detectives headed towards the exit, passing the table where Steadman and his goons were harassing the two trainees. Nace and Deric gave the two their apples to make up for what the CrimeNet thugs had done to their lunches.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Thanks for all those who reviewed. You know the drill about who's owned by what. Much of Nace's information is provided by Soul Reaver. Lopresti, Lascari and Storm are mine. Enjoy and remember: Be kind, R & R… _

**Chapter 2: On the Road Again **

_Next day, _ _7:00 AM_

Deric stifled a yawn as he sat outside ACME, awaiting his partner to come back from the ACME commissary with coffee and for the Special Agent from the FBI to show up with their wheels for their special assignment. '_All I know is it better be something with some leg room,_' Deric thought, '_If I have to drive all the way to D.C. in some little wind-up car, there **will** be blood._' Standing up, Deric stretched his six-foot, four-inch frame to try and stimulate blood flow, to help wake himself up. With his size, trying to drive cross country in a small car would, indeed, be rough. Deric turned when he heard the automatic doors whoosh open revealing Nace carrying two Styrofoam cups in his hands.

"Ah, my hero." Deric said, taking one of the cups as Nace sat down.

"Any sign of them?" Nace asked, referring to the FBI. Deric shook his head before taking a sip of the coffee. "When do you think they're gonna show?" Deric shrugged his shoulders. Just then, a Chevy Avalanche followed by a Crown Victoria pulled into the parking lot, heading for the main entrance. The two vehicles pulled up to where Deric and Nace were and stopped. Agent Lascari stepped out of the truck, which Deric noticed resembled his own truck, right down to the color.

"Morning, detectives." Tom shook both detectives' hands. "So, Detective Storm," he addressed Deric, "does this," Lascari patted the truck, "meet your approval?"

"Oh yeah." Deric had a huge grin on his face. "Is this an FBI special?"

Lascari nodded. Patting the hood of the car, he said, "Reinforced bulletproof steel." Tapping on the window, "These windows are laced with Kevlar, so they'll absorb everything except a point blank shot or a missile. It also has a GPS system and a 5-CD disc changer." He sounded like a car salesman selling a Sherman tank.

Two agents stepped out of the Crown Victoria with a man between them in shackles. "So I'm guessing this is Mr. Lopresti?" The man matched the picture that was in the file. Lopresti was a short man with a small bald spot forming on the top of his head, with large glasses and a beak-like nose. He was the stereotypical nerdy accountant. Deric figured the only reason he was a prominent witness was because he knew their accounting practices by memory.

"Okay, guys," Lascari tossed Deric the keys, "here's the drill: you have five days to get Lopresti to D.C. I would try to drive in four to five hour shifts." He handed Nace a large manila envelope, "Here's a set of driving directions, as well as money for food, tolls, gas and hotels. Try to stay under the radar."

"Shouldn't be too hard…" Nace said, going over the directions, which were a pretty straight shot to D.C. Deric snorted, knowing that their luck wasn't _that_ good. Once the paperwork was filled out, Deric, Nace, and Lopresti filed into the truck and headed out onto the road.

After driving for ten minutes, just listening to a sports talk radio station, Deric decided to strike up a conversation. "Okay, you've been my partner for about a month now, and I realized I don't know very much about you." Deric said, 'Tell me a little about yourself, like where you're from, family, et cetera, et cetera."

"Well, I was born in Wellington, New Zealand and my family moved to Johannesburg when I was four. My father and grandfather and grandfather are native South Africans. We moved after my mum had finished her obstetrics residency and my father was reassigned with Special Forces. I'm the second of five children. My eldest sister Rey currently lives in London with her own family. She actually is expecting her first child."

"That's cool, congrats." Deric shook Nace's hand. "Do you know the father?"

"Actually, yes I do." Nace answered, "Anthony Carlyle." Nace grabbed a hold of the armrest as the truck swerved.

"You mean 'Anthony Carlyle' as in 'Chief Inspector Anthony Carlyle' of ACME's London branch? That's your _brother-in-law_?" Nace nodded. "You do realize that he is the leading candidate to replace the Chief when he calls it quits. Man, talk about _job security_… Great googly-moogly, next thing you're gonna tell me is that you're distantly related to the Queen."

"No such luck. Next in line are the twins, Michael and Danielle, both are currently enrolled in universities in Britain. They're about five years younger than me. Rounding out my family is my baby brother David, who enrolled in the ACME training center in Johannesburg. He and I played for the rugby team there. David didn't play much considering he is barely sixteen now."

"What did you do before ACME?"

"After secondary school, I joined the South African Defense Force. Served for about two years before I tried to join Special Forces, like my father and grandfather before me. It's a physically grueling course. Many, including myself, needed medical attention. I was twenty years old, physically fit, and the course ground me into powder. Two years later, my tour was complete, and I joined ACME." Looking at Deric, he said, "Since we're swapping stories, what's yours?"

"Well, despite my Midwestern accent, I was born in New York. Actually, I was born on Long Island..."

"What part of the Island?" Lopresti interjected, "I got family scattered throughout Nassau."

"Manhasset, but my family lived in Rockville Center. I was orphaned by the age of eight and moved to Nebraska to live with my paternal grandparents. Spent the rest of my life there before going to college. I was a bit of an athlete in high school. I made All-county in basketball, All-State in volleyball. Basically a normal All-American childhood."

"Where'd you go to school?" Nace asked, implying college.

"I'm Irish… of course I went to Notre Dame." The others laughed at that. "I majored in History, with a minor in Education. Almost made the football team, played club lacrosse and volleyball. Graduated in about three years, and then I was approached to join ACME. Graduated from the academy and joined the undercover division, where I was sent to infiltrate VILE. And the rest is history…" The rest of the trip out of San Francisco was spent in idle chatter about sports and music and the like.

After driving along I-80 for a few hours, the gang decided to stop and get something to eat at a local truck stop. Eating at a picnic table allowed all three to get out and stretch their legs and other extremities. During lunch, it seemed that Deric had something on his mind. Nace decided not press things until they got back on the road.

"You know what really bothered me about the meeting with those CrimeNet jack-offs yesterday?" Deric broke the silence, once they were back, heading east. Lopresti had fallen asleep in the back seat of the truck.

"No," Nace responded, not looking up from his book, "what?"

"The fact that Ivy Darren is dating _Jayson Steadman._" Deric responded, "I still can't wrap my brain around that fact. I know 'love is blind,' but come on."

"Love is blind, deaf, and dumb in this instance." Nace spat.

"Okay, spill…" Deric said, with a chuckle, "what is the deal with you and Steadman?"

"We had a bit of a disagreement at a rugby match."

"Bull," Deric snorted, "need details." Lopresti leaned forward to listen as well, just waking up.

"Okay," Nace sighed and closed his book, "It was at the annual rugby match between the San Francisco and Johannesburg branches. I was a winger for the Johannesburg team. We were cruising to a victory, and being the gracious sport that he was, Steadman was giving some cheap shots to my team and arguing with the refs when he got called. On one possession, I had the ball and hurdled him when he dove low on me, making him look foolish. Instead of complimenting me on a good play, the prick said 'I didn't know dingoes could jump like that' and just walked away. Two of my teammates had to hold me back so I wouldn't throttle him."

"Damn," Lopresti remarked, with Deric nodding in agreement, "that's not cool."

"Oh, it gets better. It's about ten minutes left in the game, and coach decides to put my little brother into the game to get some playing time. With most of our non-starters in, San Fran's getting a little chippy." Nace continued, "We're marching down the field, and my brother has the ball, running well, considering he got bit by a shark less than a year before." The others' eyes widened, "Steadman knocks my brother down with a forearm right to the face, bloodying his nose. I lost it. Next thing I knew, two of my teammates and a ref were pulling me off of Steadman, who had a busted lip and a bloody nose himself."

"Were you kicked out?" Deric asked with a smile, knowing that Nace did lose his temper.

"Surprisingly, no," Nace said, "We were both given yellow cards, but neither of us was ejected. Four minutes left, and Jayson was at it again. This time I figured I'd cut him off at the pass. We collided in mid-air. The result was a concussion for Steadman where my elbow hit his eye socket and a blown knee for me from where he landed on it." Deric cringed at that, "That's how I got my trick knee."

"Between rugby and our cases, I'm surprised you can still walk." Deric joked, "I swear they should add a new event to the X-Games or what ever. Call it 'Extreme Case Solving' and we would definitely be the Gold medalists."

"I don't think ESPN could afford the insurance they'd need," Nace answered, "Besides 'Extreme Case Solving,' what 'X' sports do you like?"

"Snowboarding, rollerblading" Deric answered, thinking about the answer, "I've picked up surfing since I moved to California, but I did a little bouldering, and I skydived a few times. Other than that, I usually stick to some of the more traditional sports. You?"

"Before I got hurt, I was big into rugby," Nace rubbed his trick knee, "Also, I boxed from time to time. Now, I'm more into swimming, kayaking, and mountain biking. Less strain on the knee. If you're ever interested, you could come back to Johannesburg with me and I'll show you some of the good trails near my parents' home." Deric looked interested, since he had never been to South Africa. "Also," Nace said, continuing the conversation's original subject, "unlike 'Extreme Case Solving,' there is usually less damage to the surrounding area." Deric ran his hand through his hair.

"Hey," Deric exclaimed, "It's not like I was _trying_ to hit that bike's front tire!" Nace held up his hands in surrender. "Or the cable car in Venice. How was I supposed to know that if a cable car goes above 40 miles per hour, it'll jump the tracks? I can't help if I'm accident –prone"

"I'm not saying you did, mate," Nace explained, "It's just that we have a tendency to cause a little mayhem while doing our jobs." Deric had a sour look on his face. "Besides, we seem to be developing a following at ACME amongst the younger recruits. We're like, oh what's the movie, David Cassidy and the Sundown…"

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Lopresti answered.

"Yeah, that's it." Nace acknowledged, "We're mavericks, yet everyone seems to like us."

"Except CrimeNET and Ivy," Deric pointed out.

"Well, I don't think Ivy hates _me_," Nace responded, to which Deric stuck out his tongue, "I've wondered that, too. Why do you _always_ have to get under her skin?"

"Truth?" Deric asked, to which Nace nodded. Flashing a grin, Deric said, "Because it's _fun_ and it's so easy." Deric chuckled, "That girl needs to chill and stop taking everything so personally." Nace gave Deric a scrutinizing look, but let it go.

The truck pulled into a small motel in Colorado later that night. They were able to rent a room with two beds and a fold down couch. Since Deric would be doing most of the driving, he got one of the beds. Lopresti won the coin toss and got the other bed, leaving nace with the couch. Lopresti fell asleep almost instantly. Kicking off his shoes, Deric just collapsed onto the bed.

"I can't wait to get this case done with and get back to my apartment." Deric exhaled.

"You don't live in the ACME dorms?" Nace asked.

"No," Deric answered warily, "You?"

"Yeah."

"I never lived in the dorms, except when I was in the academy." Deric said, "Once I graduated, I moved right out. Found a small apartment since I didn't have much stuff because of my undercover work. I actually just found a new place about 15-20 min from San Francisco. You interested in moving out of ACME?"

"I wouldn't want to crowd you." Nace reasoned. Deric brushed him off.

"It's a two bedroom apartment, I was just gonna use the other one as a spare bedroom." Nace sat up and pondered this. "Sleep on it. We can discuss it after the case." Deric turned off the light to get some sleep. Nace laid on the couch thinking about Deric's proposal. He had felt a little bit of an outsider in the ACME dorms, being a 24 year old living with 16 to 18 year-olds. It was definitely something to think about.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's note: Thanks for all those who reviewed. You know the drill about who's owned by what. Much of Nace's information is provided by Soul Reaver. Lopresti, Lascari and Storm are mine. Enjoy and remember: Be kind, R & R…_

**Chapter 3: Road Rage**

_The next day…_

"Jesus, Bilby," Deric said, throwing his bag into the truck's cargo area, "if it takes you…" Deric glanced at his watch; before they had checked out of the hotel at 8:25 am, Nace had told Deric that he just wanted to ring up his parents and say 'hello.' Deric's watch now read nine-thirty; "Holy crap, **_over an hour_** to say 'hello' to your folks back in Johannesburg, I don't wanna be there when you have an actual conversation."

Nace paid him no mind, except to flip him off, which elicited a snort of laughter from Lopresti. "Well Mum," he spoke into his cell phone, "I guess that's why she didn't come home for Christmas. Raye must have had a good reason… Mum, it's a **_long_** flight from London to Johannesburg… Mum, if I had known, I would have told you...Mum, listen, I have to go now. We're somewhere in Colorado… I invited him to visit, but we're both busy… Okay, I love you too, Mum… Okay, Mum… Hey, Dad…" Deric groaned in semi-frustration. He wanted to get going. "Okay, Dad, I'll call you soon. Say bye to Grandma and Grandpa for me… Talk to you later. Bye." Nace closed his cell phone, to which he got applause from Deric and Lopresti. "Bite me. Let's go." Nace said as he got into the truck.

Deric waited until they were on the road before he started needling his partner, "I swear to God, you're worse than my cousin Trish. I would hate to see what your phone bill is. I bet AT&T wants to sell you stock."

"We're a close family."

"I guessed that." Deric responded, "So, who spilled the beans on your sister?"

"My brother Michael," Nace snickered, "he was wondering out loud who the godparents would be. My dad asked 'godparents for whom?' and Michael said 'Raye's kid.' You could hear my parents' jaws hitting the deck."

"Doh!" Lopresti said, imitating Homer Simpson. Deric nodded in agreement.

"Poor Raye," Nace snickered, "My parents were upset at first, but soon they were happy to find out they were going to be grandparents. Raye's actually due in a couple weeks; I guess she was nervous about not telling for so long, she was going to wait until she gave birth."

"So," Deric said, changing the topic, "you think about my offer?" referring to Nace moving out of the ACME dorms and becoming Deric's roommate.

"Yeah, I think I'll do it." Deric tapped his fist on the wheel. "It'll take me about a week or so, to get my stuff together and fill out the paperwork with ACME. How's that?"

"A week or two's fine." Deric answered, "Plus I'll have to talk to my landlord about getting your name added to the lease."

For the next three hours, they listened to the local radio stations, even calling in to talk with a sports talk show who was bashing Deric's favorite baseball team, the New York Mets. This sparked a debate about the intricacies of the game for Nace who was more used to cricket. They eventually pulled into a truck stop in the middle of Kansas, just outside of Great Bend, for lunch and refueling. Nace was fingering a business card while Deric finished his sub. Nace stared at the card as if he could uncover the secret of life within it. Deric noticed the card in his partner's hands when he looked up from his meal.

"Whatcha got there?" Deric asked, pointing at the card.

"Nothing," Nace said, quickly trying to put the card back into his wallet. Unfortunately for him, Deric snatched the card before he could put it away.

"Nothing, my ass," Deric said, looking at the handwritten side of the card. "Lydia… 876-0935…" Deric read, looking with sudden admiration at his partner, "Way to go Bilbs." Turning the card over, Deric saw that it read "Shannon Neal, _415 Magazine_, Contributing Writer." Deric had a puzzled look on his face.

"415 Magazine… where have I heard that before?" he asked, rapping his knuckles against his forehead. Nace took the opportunity to snatch the card back.

"They were at ACME about two weeks ago," Nace said, finally putting the card back in his wallet, "doing some sort of cover story. That's why they had you, me, Josha, Armando, Zack, & Ivy sitting on that picnic table outside ACME." The two got back in the truck, where Lopresti had been sleeping. Within minutes, they were back on the highway, continuing their conversation. "Where did they do your part of the piece?" he asked Deric.

"In the gym and in the 'bullpen,'" Deric said referring to the area where their desks were. "They took a picture of me working out on the heavy bag, sparring with Manny, and working at my desk. The interviewer said," Deric struck a pose, "I 'looked like a young cross between Chris O'Donnell & Josh Lucas.' What about you?"

"Well, I wasn't compared to any actors," Nace said, "but they got a good shot of me practicing at the firing range. I think they also got a good shot of you, me, Zack and Armando playing basketball."

"So, whose number did you get and how?"

"Actually, I had a very nice conversation with the photographer, Lydia, over lunch that day and again at the range. It turns out she and I work out at the same dojo."

"Which one?"

"The dojo or the photographer?"

"Both."

"Lydia was the one with the short brown hair, about an inch or two shorter than me," Deric nodded, knowing whom his partner was talking about, "the dojo is the one over on Weston Road. You know… the kung fu dojo. I take some classes over there and she recognized me from them. She gave me her card at ACME and told me to give her a call sometime."

"And have you?" Deric stared him down.

"Not yet," Nace answered. Deric gave him a look that asked for the reason. "I don't know what to say."

"How about 'hello?'" That came from Lopresti. Deric, with his mouth full of food, began to choke he was laughing so hard. Even Nace smiled a little.

"All right," Nace surrendered, "I'll call her when we're on the road." Nace looked at his watch, "Speaking of which," he balled up his food wrapper, "let's get going." The trio headed back to the truck. Nace stopped before getting into the truck and took a quick look around. Deric, seeing his partner, did the same. "Deric," Nace said cautiously, "do you get the feeling that we're…"

"Being followed?" Nace nodded, reaching under the trailer cap and pulling out two duffel bags. "Yeah, my spider-sense is tingling, too. Let's bounce." Deric started the car and pulled out of the parking lot and, minutes later, back onto the road. For the next half hour, Deric and Nace would glance into the mirrors to see if they were being followed. After looking again, Nace tapped Deric on the shoulder and thumbed backwards. Deric peered into the rearview mirror and took stock of what was traveling behind them. He saw a light blue minivan with Missouri plates, a beat-up red pick-up with Kansas plates, a tractor trailer, and then…

"Grey sedan?" Deric asked, to which Nace nodded. Lopresti looked back to see what the two were talking about. "That car's been following us since we left Colorado," Deric said, answering what seemed like an unsaid question from Lopresti, "there's just something wrong about it." To Nace, he said, "Call Lascari and ask if he assigned us a babysitter."

"What makes you think it's an FBI car?" Lopresti asked.

"Too clean to be a regular car," Deric made sure to keep an eye on the car in his rearview mirror. Nace got through to Lascari and apprised him of the situation. After a quick call, Nace hung up the phone. Looking at Deric, he shook his head, which meant that there was no sitter called. "Figured as much," Deric said, adjusting the mirror, "I guess Tom was right, there is a mole."

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Nace asked. Deric looked around, thinking of something. Passing a sign which read "Wichita 25," a smirk formed on Deric's face as he stepped on the accelerator.

Once they pulled away from traffic, Deric let the cruise control take over. "I've got an idea, but it's risky." Nace groaned when Deric said that; 'risky' usually meant 'large amounts of property damage are on the horizon.' "We're gonna lure em into a trap," Deric said, keeping an eye on the signs indicating the way to Wichita. "Nace, when you grabbed those two bags out of the back, were they what I thought they were?" Nace opened the blue bag to reveal Deric's two handguns and opened the red bag to reveal part of Nace's rifle. Lopresti's eyes widened with shock. "Now…" Deric said, reaching down to unfasten his seatbelt, "comes the tricky part. Nace, I need you to switch with me."

"You mean _now_?" Nace asked, incredulous, "That's nuts."

"Trust me, I've got a plan." Deric finished taking off the seatbelt. Focusing on Lopresti, Deric said, "Joey, I'm going to need you to lie on the floor…" As Lopresti got on the floor, Deric put the seatback all the way down, and told Nace to do the same. "Okay, Nace, here's what I need you to do: Grab the wheel." Nace did as he was told. Deric then began to shimmy his way onto the back of the chair. "Good, now try to keep us straight and switch seats." Nace put his leg over very gingerly and carefully brought the other leg over. Deric, meanwhile, was prone across the backs of the chairs. Once Nace was in the seat, Deric slid into the passenger seat and raised the seatback back up. Nace did the same, allowing Lopresti to return to the backseat.

"Okay, mate…" Nace said, "What's the plan?" Deric pointed to a sign that said 'Wichita 15.'

"First, we get off the highway at Wichita." Deric said, searching for the sedan in the side-view mirror. "Then we head for Sedgwick County Mall; there's this 5-level parking garage that is usually empty at the top level." Finding the sedan about 200 yards back, Deric said, "and then we're gonna lay a trap for these jack-offs." Deric had **_that_** grin on his face, which both psyched Nace up and worried him at the same time. He knew Deric had a plan, but also knew there was probably going to be some massive property damage. "Now, Nace," Deric said, looking back at the grey sedan, "I need you to slow down…"

"SLOW DOWN?" Nace exclaimed, "**_Are you out of your bloody mind?_**" Deric just smiled that cocky smile, as if to say "trust me". Nace slowed down the truck until the grey sedan tailing them was now alongside them. Inside the car were three men in charcoal grey and black suits, none of whom looked very friendly. So, naturally, Deric smiled and waved at them. Nace got the gist of what Deric had in mind and stepped on the accelerator.

Minutes later, Nace navigated the truck off the highway and approached the mall. Deric pointed out the garage that was going to be used as the trap. Noticing that the grey sedan was in pursuit, they pulled into the parking garage. Deric opened the bag with his guns inside and removed them, loaded them and turned the safeties off.

"Okay," Deric said, "once I hop out, head straight for the roof." He checked the mirrors to see if the sedan was gaining on them, but it was no where in sight. "Around this time of day, it should be empty. Head for the farthest corner, but leave enough room where I can sneak up on their car. Then, get your gear and situate yourself and Lopresti in the truck bed. Even though Tom told us it could stand up to some heavy artillery, I don't want to take any chances," Deric opened up the passenger door, "Here we go…" Deric said as he jumped out of the truck. Nace reached over and pulled the door closed before speeding towards the roof of the parking complex.

A minute later, Deric spied their pursuers heading past his position. He took stock of what he saw in the car. Inside were three men, all clad in dark colored suits; one of which could be seen cocking a semi-automatic. '_Three guys… more than likely all are packing automatic weapons,_' Deric thought as he headed for the nearest staircase, '_shouldn't be too hard…_' Reaching for his phone, Deric called the local authorities for some back-up. Once that was finished, Deric began to sprint up the steps, knowing that the trap was set.

"_Here kitty, kitty, kitty…_" Deric said to no one in particular as he ascended the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's note: You know the drill about who's owned by what. Nace is provided by Soul Reaver. Lopresti, Lascari and Storm are mine._

**Chapter 4: On the Road Again**

With his military experience, Nace understood the value of a good ambush. However… crouching in the back of a pick-up truck with a convicted felon, hoping your cowboy of a partner can sneak up on three, possibly heavily armed, men before they all got killed did **_NOT _**seem like a good ambush to him. '_I hope Deric knows what he's doing, because I bloody well **don't**,_' Nace thought as he loaded his rifle. Looking over at Lopresti, Nace considered giving him the spare pistol in the bag. '_Too risky…_' he thought. Although he had been a model prisoner so far, Nace still didn't trust Lopresti. If it meant not going to jail, you never knew what someone would do. There was just something that **bothered** Nace about the convict, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"They're coming…" Lopresti said, snapping Nace out of his reverie. The sedan pulled to a stop about fifty feet directly in front of the truck, cutting off any potential escape. From that distance, Nace could see there were only two thugs and the driver. However, the two thugs exited the car with high caliber automatic rifles. "Where's your friend?" Lopresti asked, frantic.

"He'll show," Nace answered, "trust me."

"Detectives…" the driver shouted, "we'll give you one shot… Hand over your passenger and we'll let you walk away." Nace could see Deric slowly emerge from the stairwell, guns in hand. He just needed a distraction to move up closer.

"Sorry mate," Nace answered, keeping his rifle trained on the driver the entire time, "I don't think we're going to be able to do that."

"Well then, I'm sorry it has to be this way." The driver said, before nodding to his subordinates, who raised their guns and…

"Oh shit…" Nace swore. Lunging for Lopresti, he yelled, "GET DOWN!" as the two thugs unleashed a swarm of gunfire. Thankfully, the trunk absorbed most of the gunfire. Unfortunately, the truck was damaged to the point of being useless as a means of transportation. Deric used the commotion to sneak up on the unsuspecting trio.

"Okay," the driver said once the truck resembled Swiss cheese, "go see what's left." They took two steps before they were stopped by the sound of guns cocking.

"Uh… I don't think so," Deric said, aiming his handguns at the three. "Guns on the ground, now."

"Detective," the driver said, still with a smirk on his face, "you're outmanned and outgunned." As the goon to Deric's right raised his gun to fire, a shot rang out. The goon no longer aimed his gun at Deric; he was too busy cradling his right hand, which now included a bullet hole.

Now it was Deric's turn to smirk. "Wanna try that again?" Deric said as Nace approached, rifle at the ready, "Guns down. Hands behind your head." The other goon looked at Nace, then at his cohort on the ground, and did as he was told. Within five minutes, local police and federal agents arrived on the scene. Before the police led the three thugs away, Deric took the keys to the sedan from the driver.

Once back on the road, the three made great time, stopping only for gas and food. It was past midnight when they pulled into a motel just outside the border of West Virginia. They awoke at eight in the morning and were on the road again by nine.

It was around half past noon by the time they pulled to the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C. Agent Lascari was waiting for them outside the building with about half a dozen agents. He shook both Deric and Nace's hands when they stepped out of the car. The other agents helped Lopresti out of the car, and then proceeded to remove his shackles.

"Thanks Stan," Lopresti said, rubbing his wrists, "you have no idea how much of a pain in the ass it is to wear those damn things for nearly a week straight." The two detectives each had a bewildered look on their faces. Then, as if a light bulb went off for each of them, Nace and Deric glared at Lascari. They had been duped.

"Sorry to keep you in dark like that, boys." Lascari apologized.

"Where's the real Lopresti?" Nace asked, still perturbed.

"He arrived two days ago via plane," Lascari answered. "He already testified before the Attorney General. We have enough to deal a major blow to Satori crime family, maybe even completely obliterate them. What I told you back in California was part of the cover story. We knew we had a mole in the bureau, and this was the only way to flush them out."

"Why **_us_**?" Deric asked for both of them.

"We needed an outside factor, so we contacted ACME," Tom answered. "The assignment needed someone who would do whatever it took to get the witness here, and you two fit the bill perfectly." Nace and Deric seemed to grudgingly accept that, but Nace still had a confused look on his face.

"Then who's…" he motioned towards 'Lopresti.'

"Special Agent Josh Diaz," the man himself answered. "And, I must say, you two were outstanding." Looking at Nace he said, "That was amazing how you disarmed that guy back in Kansas." Diaz regaled his fellow agents with the story of the shoot out as they entered the building, leaving just Lascari, Nace and Deric outside.

"I guess this is gonna be the talk around the water cooler for the next two weeks?" Lascari wondered with a smirk.

"Well," Deric responded, "it _was_ a hell of a shot."

"I can deal with that," Lascari snickered. "Once again, you boys went above and beyond what I expected. After you're debriefed, there'll be a car waiting to take you to a hotel for tonight and then to take you to the airport in the morning. You're on the 11:05 flight to San Francisco." That appealed to the two, mainly because they didn't feel like driving all the way back to San Francisco.

Once the debriefing was over, Lascari escorted our heroes outside to the awaiting car. He gave both of them his business card. "If you two ever decide that ACME's not your thing, give me a buzz. We'd love to have you two come work for us." Deric and Nace both thanked him for the offer. "I mean it, you two. Just give me a call." Lascari closed the car door and sent the two to their hotel and then back to San Francisco the next day.


End file.
